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Carl Froch set to star at Silverstone

Four-time World Super-Middleweight boxing champion Carl Froch is the latest big name from the worlds of sport, showbiz, music and media to join the star-studded Celebrity Challenge Trophy grid at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (28-30 July).

The 39-year-old held the WBC title twice between 2008 to 2011, the IBF title from 2012 to 2015 and the unified WBA title from 2013 to 2015. At the Silverstone Classic, Froch has joined a Sky Sports team also featuring well-known presenters Mike Wedderburn and Orla Chennaoui.

They will be lining up with fellow champion boxer-cum-Sky TV pundit Johnny Nelson, who has yet to subject himself to the rigorous Silverstone Motorsport Academy ARDS test before the event.

Froch has already passed his ARDS track test at the Donington Park circuit and more recently put one of the Austin A35s that he’ll be racing through its paces at Silverstone.

“I’m excited to be competing in a sport which doesn’t involve me getting punched in the face!” quipped the boxing legend who is now a boxing analyst and commentator for Sky TV. “I have done a couple of track days at Donington in preparation, and spent a day at Silverstone getting familiar with the circuit as well as the A35 race car. It was so useful to get a handle on the track, to be able to visualise the corners, work out when to brake and appropriate speeds. I’m now really excited about the big day.”

Wedderburn and Chennaoui have also successfully passed their ARDS tests and are raring to go.

“What a brilliant experience – scary but fabulous,” enthused Wedderburn. “I have never driven competitively before, so it was a whole new experience for me and I kept getting the same things wrong – going too fast into corners and coming too slowly out of them.

“When I was introduced to the little car I expected it to go at a max of 40 mph. My face must have been a picture when I was told they can top 110 mph!”

Despite some previous kart racing experience, Chennaoui was equally apprehensive. “It was absolutely terrifying to begin with because you have to unlearn just about all the good habits you’ve learnt as a driver. And then the adrenaline kicks in, followed by the competitive spirit,” she grinned. “To start with, I was trying to stay clear of other cars on the track; by the end I was trying to overtake everything in sight! I was in full-on racing mode and absolutely loved it. I now can’t wait!”

Starring Froch, the Sky Sports team will be competing against a host of other famous faces all armed with equally-matched, race-tuned Austin A30s and A35s from the Historic Racing Drivers Club (HRDC) Academy.

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